Mar 9, 2011

The rain cant stop us now

So I just found out that my trainer who went home in December is already married. What the?? Also heard it from an anziano who heard it from another anziano so who knows how reliable that is, but if its true,all I have to say is, I told you so.And I hope that its not that one guy.

I have to say how much I LOVE all of you.Seriously, were ever more beautiful people created than the ones that have been put in my life? I am the luckiest.

a few shout-outs because the mail system is unreliableand who knows what is getting through:

COURTNEY--got both your emails and i love you times a million and i did write you a couple weeks ago, but to your LA address. so lets hope it somehow gets to you because it was a good letter full of wedding inspiration and drama and all the things you wanted. but i will send another soon.

KELS,BABZ,JEN -- those valentines day photos. made. my. life. i have one of the ones we took last year in my album that I show everyone and they are like, you are crazy, but awesome. and i say, i know. and someone tell the Jordans that both their capstone projects sound legit.

Okay, moving on.

This week, was like usual, full of adventure. Its been raining, snowing (snowing would mean there are 20 snowflakes in the air) After I emailed you last week we got lost in Carbonara (which is a part of Bari) for a few hours (well, not really that long). We even asked a policeman and he pulled out the official city map because no one knew where the tiny street was and the member we were trying to visit wouldnt answer her phone and no one else who might know answered the phone. But we met a guy in a flowershop who used to have friends who were Mormon and American and he gave us directions and we talked to him and he told us to come back and visit him sometime, so we are going to tonight. He said, "my name is Michele...Fratello Michele."

Another Chilotam line (sadly we probably arent going to teach him anymore because he is sort of homeless and dealing with a lot of things) but on the phone he told us, "Make sure you are doing it for God and not that man Mormon" and afterwards Sorella Foote goes, "Obviously he didnt understand any of that lesson" But we still love him loads. He is in our prayers.

Sunday...oh my gosh. We ate SO much. We went and ate at this family with two hilarious boys. They are huge. Their dad is from Mexico and their mom is Italian and they just fed us so much. But guess what. They made guacamole!! IT WAS SOOOOO GOOD. We were freaking out. And it was fast Sunday so we were really hungry anyway. And then we had guacamole and tortillas and one of the boys, Leo was like, "I have a diary and I write all my secrets in it." and then they were showing us their lego firestation and it was hilarious because he was explaining every part and when I would ask questions he would just ignore me and keep going.

Then we went and taught this lady we have been trying to go by for ages but she is always gone she was like, "I want to come to church and bring my sister. And we said, okay. And Sorella Foote goes, "I have a map!" and she pulls it out and we show her exactly how to get to church,haha.

We also have a lovely youngerster Valentina who really wants to get baptized but her parents wont let her and I was like, why wouldnt you want her to grow up religious with all these programs to help her grow up well?? So we told her she just has to prove to her parents that she is serious by reading and praying everydayand bearing her testimony to them.

Yesterday was Feste delle Donne (So Auguri to all the women out there) and we took everyone these yellow flowers, as is tradition here, and they happen to grow on a tree right behind the churchso we conveniently were able to grab a bunch.

Then we are on a street corner and we hear the Anziani yell at us(they were about to buy some flowers at a stand nearby)and they were like, "Who gave you those?"And instead of telling them they were from all our boyfriendswe told them we got them from the church and that we were taking them to people. It worked well. Turns out if you want people to like you you just have to carry flowers around. It makes them happy. Two ladies on the street were like, "you two are just beautiful" the thing is,they dont realize that its not our good looks,its the spirit of the Lord we take with us eveywhere.

These magical flowers also got us into the house of a lady we have been trying to see for a long time. But she is moving away. Its sad because she is really sad and doesnt know where to go to be happier. We know, however, but she didnt have time to talk for long.

It was also Carnivale and one of our investigators told us that the ragazzacci (fun word to say, means essentially mean boys) throw eggs at people. I was like, "oh great, we are missioanries, we are prime targets for egg throwing!" So we wore ugly jackets from the death closet all day, but never got hit by anything. Anticlimatic.

We went and visited this one lady, Sorella Pepe, and guess what...Her son is a filmmaker in Rome. She was showing us all her stuff that he had left in the house and I wanted to steal it all. 8mm cameras and all these books and this one huge old camera. She was just like, "I dont know what this is" and "this is some other thing". And I wanted to be like, can I borrow this? Ha. It made me a little homesick, Ill be honest. She is also crazy good at knitting and can knit a sweater in two days.

I have to tell you that I love our mission president. I was on the phone with Sorella Kelly and she goes, I am going to pass you to President and he goes, "I just heard Sorella Kelly talking to you and I thought I want to get in on the fun!!" He is the nicest and somehow manages to take care of 100 missionairies and make us all feel loved and important at the same time. All the members tell us how much they love him all the time.

Also we decided to give up chocolate for lent. I know, this is huge. that includes nutella. You are probably wondering why Mormon Missionaries are celebrating lent...I dont know, the Italians are wearing off on us (not that any of them are celebrating Lent as far as I can tell) the other day in district meeting I was talking about general conference and I said, "Its the simple things, the apostles are always like read your prayers" instead of read the scriptures and pray and everyone laughed. We also had all the anziani in our district falling out of their chairs as we reinacted our lesson with Chilotam. We are...really funny. Cant help it.

“The greatest good we can do in helping others become what they can become will be to lead them to the Savior.”

D. Todd Christofferson

It is so not about us. I have realized that missionary work is just as affective when you cant say much at all, because you take them to the scriptures...to their Savior. Read the scriptures. Pray to Him. Listen to the prophet and apostles. Then do what they say. Do you all realize that we can become better than we are everyday? That our potential is absolutely limitless? lately I have been thinking about how often I have settled for mediocracy because it was easier. But easier is not better. Heavenly Father has given us all these tools so that we can know our Savior and become like Him. So lets do it. Day by day we can be a little kinder a little more dedicated to serving a little more repentent.

You know what we're going to do, right? We're going to live like we're telling the best story in the world.

-The Brothers Bloom

We will do things that surprise others, but in our hearts we knew we could do them. -Thomas Kelly

It may seem boring, but I think the boring stuff is the stuff I remember the most.

- Russell, Up

Love is what inspired our Heavenly Father to create our spirits; it is what led our Savior to the Garden of Gethsemane to make Himself a ransom for our sins. Love is the grand motive of the plan of salvation; it is the source of happiness, the ever-renewing spring of healing, the precious fountain of hope. - Dieter F. Utchdorf